GWBusiness Magazine Spring 2018

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G E O R G E

W A S H I N G T O N

U N I V E R S I T Y

S C H O O L

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B U S I N E S S

BUSINESS SPRING 2018

Colin Powell

S TAT E S M A N , SOLDIER, GWSB ALUMNUS

SPRING 2018 THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

D E PARTME NTS

F E AT U R E S

THE

Worldwide BUSINESS OF SPORTS

2 Message from the Dean 4 GWSB News Briefs

14 Alumni Profile: Antwanye Ford 30 Alumni Profile: Marcia Bullard

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34 Development + Alumni News

16 The Latest Thinking on the Benefits of Global Trade 20

Colin Powell: Statesman, Soldier, GWSB Alumnus

26 Climate Change: A Corporate Responsibility 31

Graduate Certificates: A New Pathway to Career Success

Editor in Chief Dan Michaelis Copy Editor Mary A. Dempsey Contributing Writers Mary A. Dempsey Danny Leipziger Dan Michaelis Photographers William Atkins Logan Werlinger Design GW Marketing and Creative Services

GWBusiness magazine is published annually by the George Washington University School of Business Comments and letters are welcomed.

Please direct all correspondence to: GWBusiness 2201 G Street, NW Funger Hall 217 Washington, DC 20052 or: dmichaelis@gwu.edu President Thomas LeBlanc

Interim Dean Vivek Choudhury Vice Dean for Faculty and Research James Wade Associate Dean for Graduate Programs Denis Cioffi Associate Dean for Research and Doctoral Studies Angela Gore

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Leo Moersen Senior Advisor to the Dean Denis Cioffi Assistant Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Natalie Fleischman

Associate Dean for Executive Education George M. Jabbour

business.gwu.edu | 1

Dear GWSB Community, It has been a year of transition at the George Washington University School of Business. As you know, Dean Linda A. Livingstone left GWSB to assume the presidency of Baylor University. Her appointment is a tribute to her leadership as an educator and administrator, and to GWSB. I am honored to have taken over for her as interim dean.

On a sad note, the GWSB community this year mourned the loss of three longtime faculty members: James Ferrer, director of the Center for Latin American Issues and the Institute of Brazilian Business; Jeffrey Lenn, professor of strategic management & public policy; and Erik Winslow, professor of management. They are fondly remembered as teachers, colleagues and friends by students, alumni, faculty and staff.

Throughout the past year, GWSB has worked tirelessly to emulate the example and inspiration provided by these dedicated educators. Our commitment to world-class business education and groundbreaking business research remains our top priority. On the academic side, we have introduced This issue…features a broad of range of innovative, graduate certificates, … what sets GWSB and we will be launching two exciting new graduate apart from other programs in the fall—the MS in Human Resources Management and the MS in Sport Management. business schools—

Message from the interim Dean

DR. VIVEK CHOUDHURY “…Our commitment to world-class business education and groundbreaking business research remains our top priority…”

2 | GWSB Spring 2018

our academic Our efforts have not gone unnoticed. GWSB has programs, research been recognized as a Top-25 institution for graduate entrepreneurship by The Princeton Review, and as a and the impressive Top-10 school for undergraduate international business achievements of programs by U.S. News & World Report. GWSB’s Center our graduates. for Real Estate and Urban Analysis (CREUA) and Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) are known the world over for outstanding research in their respective fields. GWSB faculty are frequently spotlighted for their expertise. For example, a video of Dr. Kirsten Martin’s recent TED Talk on online privacy has received more than 20,000 views online.

This issue of GWBusiness features several articles highlighting what sets GWSB apart from other business schools—our academic programs, research and the impressive achievements of our graduates. Read about: GWSB’s “Behind the Scenes at the Olympics” class, which just concluded an in-depth study of the business side of the winter games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the Institute for Corporate Responsibility’s student-driven climate-change project—and I think you will especially enjoy the fascinating profile of one of our most distinguished alumni, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

GWSB STATS U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT RANKING

10

TOP

IN THE NATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PROGRAMS

THE PRINCETON REVIEW RANKING

25

TOP

INSTITUTION FOR GRADUATE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

2 NEW PROGRAMS

MS IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND MS IN SPORT MANAGEMENT

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT DR. KIRSTEN MARTIN’S TED TALK ON ONLINE PRIVACY MORE THAN 20,000 VIEWS ONLINE

All the best,

Dr. Vivek Choudhury Interim Dean The George Washington University School of Business

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GWSB NEWS BRIEFS Research

The Search for China’s First Major Leaguer

The film project grew out of a 2015 GWSB course on the development of baseball in China.

GWSB Dean Vivek Choudhury, 2017 Alumni Achievement Award winner Jayne Plank, BA ’54, and GW Alumni Awards Task Force Chair April Stubbs-Smith, MPH ’96.

AWARD

GWSB Alumna Honored GWSB alumna Jayne Plank, BA ’54, was one of eight distinguished George Washington University graduates honored last fall at the 81st annual Alumni Achievement Awards, which kicked off the 2017 unified Colonials Weekend for alumni, students, family and friends.

The Alumni Achievement Awards, created in 1937, recognize GW graduates who have distinguished themselves through notable achievements in their professional and personal lives. The awards are the highest form of recognition given by the George Washington Alumni Association to a GW graduate annually. Past GWSB recipients include former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, MBA ’71 (see article, pg. 20).

Ms. Plank has spent decades as a public servant: on the Kensington, Md., Town Council; as the first woman elected mayor of Kensington; and as director of intergovernmental affairs for the U.S. Department of State under President Ronald Reagan. She also worked as a cryptologic linguist for the National Security Agency.

Event

Fall Career Fair More than 40 employers, including event sponsors Capgemini, Macy’s and Deloitte, set up in Duquès Hall to meet with more than 300 GWSB undergraduate and graduate students for the F. David Fowler Career Center’s (FDFCC) Annual Fall Career Fair.

“This business school-only fair is in response to employers’ requests to fill certain positions with students majoring in business and concentrating

4 | GWSB Spring 2018

in key areas of need in their organizations. We anticipate that quite a few internships and job opportunities will follow as a result,” Gil Yancey, FDFCC executive director, said.

In addition to networking with employers, students were able to meet with their career coaches to sharpen their elevator pitches and enhance their interview skills in preparation for the event.

Mark Hyman, assistant teaching professor of management, recently returned from China, where he and his team, including translator Fangliang “Mike” Ding, GWSB ’17, were shooting film for a documentary on Major League Baseball’s search for the first big leaguer from China.

According to Professor Hyman, MLB operates three “development centers” in China where players as young as 12 attend school and receive intensive training in baseball.

The first center opened in 2007. Three players have since been signed by MLB teams to professional contracts, but none has come close to reaching the big leagues.

During the trip, Professor Hyman and his team visited a remote community in Qinghai Province, Chinese Tibet, where parents of two 12-year-old Tibetan boys signed papers to send their sons to a development center. They also visited a center in Wuxi, near Shanghai, to observe the daily routines of the 40 young players there.

The film project grew out of a 2015 GWSB course on the development of baseball in China. Students traveled to China for 10 days, visiting the development centers and meeting with MLB officials.

Research

Ranking

CREUA Releases Greater N.Y. ‘WalkUP’ Study GWSB’s Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis (CREUA) released a landmark study on walkable urban spaces in the greater New York metropolitan area at a conference in New York City. The study defines 149 regionally significant walkable urban places (or “WalkUPs”) in the tri-state region. Despite some of the most iconic walkable urban space on the planet, the New York metropolitan area has very little walkable urbanism outside of the urban core, according to the CREUA report.

“Our research shows that right now, this is a tale of two regions,” said Christopher Leinberger, the Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar and Research Professor, lead author of the report and CREUA chairman. “Right now,

most walkable development is concentrated in the urban core.

The future of the tri-state region goes beyond only developing walkable urbanism in New York City. It especially requires fostering walkable urbanism throughout the rest of the region.”

The study defines 149 regionally significant walkable urban places (or “WalkUPs”) in the tristate region.

CREUA also presented the report at conferences in Plainview (Long Island), N.Y., and Newark, N.J.

Top-10 Ranking for Undergrad International Business The George Washington University School of Business was ranked 9th in the nation among the “Best Undergraduate International Business Programs” in U.S. News & World Report’s 2018 Best Colleges Rankings. GWSB’s international business program has consistently earned top marks in the annual survey.

“Business success in the 21st century requires a global perspective,” Dr. Vivek Choudhury, interim dean of GWSB, said. “As an international institution in an international city, GWSB is uniquely positioned to prepare its students to compete in the global business environment.

“This Top-10 ranking is a well-deserved tribute to the strength of our program and the excellence of our faculty and student body,” Dr. Choudhury said.

GWSB also earned a Top-50 spot in USN&WR’s overall rankings for undergraduate business programs, coming in 42nd.

GWSB STATS RANKED #9 IN U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT’S 2018 BEST COLLEGES RANKINGS “This top-10 ranking is a welldeserved tribute to the strength of our program and the excellence of our faculty and student body” — Dr. Vivek Choudhury, interim dean of GWSB

Event

GW Students Teach D.C. Youth Entrepreneurship With Lemonade Stands Students from public and charter schools in Washington, D.C., set up and operated lemonade stands throughout the city as part of Lemonade Day DC, an annual George Washington University School of Business (GWSB) program designed to teach entrepreneurship and business skills to District youth through in-class mentorship and the real-life experience of operating a lemonade stand.

Each year, GWSB students mentor 4th through 7th-grade youth in D.C. and help run stands on Lemonade Day. Get your ice-cold lemonade! D.C. elementary school students put into practice the business know-how they gained from their GWSB mentors on Lemonade Day.

business.gwu.edu | 5

GWSB NEWS BRIEFS Research

Center for the Connected Consumer

AWARD

GWSB Professor Wins ‘Nobel Prize in HR’

Congratulations to Herman Aguinis, Avram Tucker Distinguished Scholar and professor of management, on winning the 2017 Michael R. Losey Excellence in Human Resource Research Award from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

One of the world’s foremost experts on enhancing organizational performance through human capital management, Dr. Aguinis was selected for the prestigious award in recognition of his 25 years of influential scholarship in the HR field. In announcing the award, SHRM cited his eight books, 150 research articles, 400 presentations, lectures on every continent (save Antarctica) and $5 million in research and teaching grants. The award, which comes with a $50,000 prize, is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize in HR.” Dr. Aguinis was also appointed deputy dean of the Fellows of the Academy of Management (AOM) last year.

The AOM is the preeminent professional association for management and organization scholars. Its members are professors and PhD students in business schools at universities, academics in related social sciences and other fields, and practitioners who value knowledge creation and application. Founded in 1936, the AOM currently has nearly 20,000 members, from more than 120 countries.

Becoming a fellow of the Academy of Management is a significant honor, as the total of AOM Fellows is capped at 1 percent of the academy’s membership. As deputy dean, Dr. Aguinis will be responsible for conducting the election of new fellows.

“As you can imagine, this is an amazing honor—and responsibility,” Dr. Aguinis said. “I anticipate that my role as deputy dean of the AOM Fellows will require quite a bit of time and effort on my part. But, I decided to accept it because this role will be accompanied with tremendous visibility and benefits for GWSB.” 6 | GWSB Spring 2018

Donna Hoffman, Louis Rosenfeld Distinguished Scholar and professor of marketing and co-director of the Center for the Connected Consumer, and Tom Novak, Denit Trust Distinguished Scholar and professor of marketing and co-director of the center, were selected to co-chair the 2018 Association for Consumer Research (ACR) Doctoral Symposium. ACR is the world’s preeminent academic association for scholarly research on consumer behavior and publishes the field’s top behavioral journal, Journal of Consumer Research, and the new quarterly Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, focusing on thematic explorations of key topics in consumer research. Drs. Hoffman and Novak also have recent papers in both journals on topics related to consumer experience in the “Internet of Things” and social media.

Donna Hoffman and Tom Novak…were selected to co-chair the 2018 Association for Consumer Research (ACR) Doctoral Symposium… the world’s preeminent academic association for scholarly research…

GWSB’s Center for the Connected Consumer is dedicated to understanding how consumers interact with smart objects that are connected to the Internet.

In Memoriam

Dean Norma Maine Loeser, RIP In 2017, the GWSB community mourned the passing of Dr. Norma Maine Loeser, former dean of GW’s School of Government and Business Administration.

“Dr. Loeser was the first woman in the nation named dean of a major business school.

As dean, she was a dynamic leader, increasing the number of faculty, redesigning the MBA program to make it more relevant to student career objectives, establishing an executive-in-residence program and recruiting more women business students,” former Dean Linda Livingstone said.

Dr. Loeser joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1944 and continued to serve after WWII, retiring from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1966.

She attended GW, where she received a bachelor’s of business administration in 1958, a master’s of business administration in 1967, and a doctorate in business administration in 1971.

Joining the GW faculty, she taught business courses and was named dean of the School of Government and Business Administration in 1978, a position she held for 10 years, until returning to full-time teaching in 1989. Dr. Loeser also served as a presidential appointee to the Defense Manpower Commission, managing director of the Civil Aeronautics Board and on a number of corporate boards of directors, including Thomas & Betts Corp. and the Washington Gas Light Co.

International

GWSB Co-Hosts GBSN Event GWSB co-hosted the 12th annual Global Business School Network Conference, Nov. 1-3, 2017, in Washington, D.C. The Kogod School of Business at American University and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business joined GWSB as co-hosts of the event.

“It was a great honor for GWSB to co-host this prestigious event,” Bryan Andriano, executive director of Global and Experiential Education, said. “Innovation in teaching and learning, and the practice of global business come from meaningful

Graduate Students

GWSB’s ‘Rocket Man’ Grad Student Key Member of Weather Satellite Team First-year Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) student Robert Estes participated in the launch of Joint Polar Satellite System-1 (JPSS-1), a NASA/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite.

According to NOAA, the JPSS-1 satellite with lay foundation of the agency’s weather forecasting system for the next 20 years, “providing the reliable, global observations required to support accurate numerical weather forecasts up to seven days in advance.”

A long-time NASA project manager, Mr. Estes was responsible for project costs, schedules, technical performance and management of the critical JPSS-1 CERES (Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System) component. Mr. Estes was instrumental in initiating the contract with aerospace/defense firm Northrop Grumman to build CERES. The successful JPSS-1 launch took place via a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Calif. on Nov. 10, 2017.

discussions and partnerships. Gathering with colleagues from across the globe to discuss challenges and their solutions for business and society is central to the mission of our school and the future of business education.”

The conference provided an opportunity for business school leaders from around the world to connect with stakeholders from government, nonprofit and private-sector organizations to exchange ideas, share global expertise and develop partnerships.

GBSN is a member-based nonprofit organization that focuses on improving access to quality management education for developing countries. The network includes

more than 70 business schools spanning six continents.

“It was a great honor for GWSB to co-host this prestigious event…“ — Bryan Andriano, executive director of Global and Experiential Education

The 2017 conference focused on “Intersections of Business Education and Economic Development.” Attendees learned about the various ways business schools interact with business, academic government, and nonprofit organizations to improve economic development and increase opportunities.

International

Professor Meets with Egyptian President Salah S. Hassan, professor of marketing, was part of a delegation representing selected disasporas invited to meet with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Washington, D.C., last year.

President El-Sisi, who was in Washington for his first official visit to the White House, discussed the importance of continued U.S. cooperation and support for economic development and infrastructure projects in Egypt, as well as U.S. support for “Egypt’s Vision 2030” reform agenda.

Following his meeting with President El-Sisi, Dr. Hassan did several television news interviews, appearing on CBC, Egyptian national news, and ONTV-Live (a pan-Arab news network) to discuss the Egyptian president’s Washington visit.

During his interviews, Dr. Hassan talked about the historic strategic alliance between the U.S. and Egypt against terrorism and Egypt’s on-going transformation from a nation with a centrally planned economy, dependent on international aid, to an international trade partner, aspiring to increase its regional and global market competitiveness.

Dr. Salah Hassan frequently has appeared on Egyptian T.V. news programs to discuss his expertise in “nation branding” and efforts in support of “Egypt’s Vision 2030” reform program. business.gwu.edu | 7

GWSB NEWS BRIEFS “Our entire capacity as a republic now depends, in a genuinely future-oriented way, on whether we are, in fact, truly capable of continuing the process of civic engagement, civil conversation, even at a moment when the country is deeply polarized…”

— Noah Feldman, Harvard Law School professor

Lecture

Ranking

GWSB STATS GWSB AMONG THE TOP 25 IN THE PRINCETON REVIEW’S 2018 RANKING

Blackburn Lecture Focuses on Civil Civic Engagement The message of the 2017 Richard W. Blackburn Endowed Lecture on Civility and Integrity seemed more apt than usual as Noah Feldman, a Harvard Law School professor, made his case for how important those two qualities are.

Dr. Feldman, who specializes in constitutional studies and advised the Iraqi Governing Council on drafting an interim constitution, discussed civility and integrity through the lens of his experiences

in “constitutional deal-making.”

He told a group of primarily GWSB students that he realized on election night last year: “It’s all about the Constitution now.”

Dr. Feldman didn’t just mean from the perspective that there will be arguments regarding the constitutionality of certain decisions—there always will be, regardless of who is president.

He also meant, he said, that in a constitutional system of democracy, there is always a framework for continued discussion. And that

framework can’t be forgotten.

“Our entire capacity as a republic now depends, in a genuinely futureoriented way, on whether we are, in fact, truly capable of continuing the process of civic engagement, civil conversation, even at a moment when the country is deeply polarized,” he said.

The annual Richard W. Blackburn Lecture was established through a generous endowment gift from former GW Trustee Richard Blackburn to GWSB.

Lecture

18th Annual Maxon Lecture

Sustainability—it’s the real thing. Derk Hendriksen, Coca-Cola VP of business integration in the company’s Office of Sustainability, delivered the 2017 Maxon Lecture at GW. 8 | GWSB Spring 2018

The 2017 Maxon Lecture featured a presentation from Coca-Cola Vice President Derk Hendriksen.

Mr. Hendriksen is vice president of business integration in the Coca-Cola Co.’s Office of Sustainability. He is also general manager of Coca-Cola’s EKOCENTER project, which aims to empower disadvantaged communities through social enterprise by delivering shared value to both society and business.

The annual Maxon Lecture was established through Dorothy Maxon’s generous endowment gift to the

School of Business in honor of her husband, Robert P. Maxon, BA ’48.

The lecture adds depth to the understanding of the next generation of global business leaders.

The annual lecture features prominent executives and academics making presentations on contemporary global management issues. The lecture is designed to add depth to the understanding of the next generation of global business leaders.

“At GWSB, we are committed to fostering creativity and innovation within the framework of business education…”

Tops In Graduate Entrepreneurship GWSB was listed among the Top 25 in The Princeton Review’s “Top Schools for Graduate Entrepreneurship of 2018” ranking.

“Successful entrepreneurship requires creativity, vision and a willingness to take risks, but it also requires the solid foundation of a world-class business education,” GWSB Dean Vivek Choudhury said. “At GWSB, we are committed to fostering creativity and innovation within the framework of business education. This ranking is a tribute to our faculty, students and the many GWSB alumni who have gone on to launch

successful business ventures.”

George Solomon, professor of management and director of the Center For Entrepreneurial Excellence (CFEE), said the center was honored by the ranking. “The collaborative partnership among the School of Business, the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and CFEE provides GW students with a comprehensive package of courses, experiential activities and real-life exposure to the trials and tribulations of a creative, innovative and entrepreneurial-focused professional in the 21st century,” Dr. Solomon said.

honor

GWSB Professor on ‘Most Influential Urbanists’ List

GWSB’s Christopher B. Leinberger, Charles Bendit Distinguished Scholar and research professor of urban real estate, was named one of “The 100 Most Influential Urbanists” by the online magazine Planetizen.

The list features such well-known giants of urban planning as Pierre-Charles L’Enfant (#31) and Robert Moses (#17), Classical Era architects and planners Hippodamus of Miletus (5th century BCE, #59) and Vitruvius (1st century BCE, #55), and even Bronx rappers Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (for “The Message,” their “instantly recognizable urban manifesto,” #72).

Prof. Leinberger was pleased with his 65th place ranking on the list, saying he “didn’t expect to top Vitruvius, the Roman architectural author and theorist.”

Planetizen is considered one of the “big three” urban and real estate online magazines, along with The Atlantic’s CityLab and Next City.

Event

4,000 Attend 6th Annual GW Inaugural Ball The George Washington University hosted its sixth Inaugural Ball at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in northwest Washington to mark the swearing-in of our nation’s 45th president.

GW has hosted an inaugural ball since 1993.

This longstanding tradition celebrates the university’s politically active campus in the heart of Washington, D.C., four blocks from the White House. More than 4,000 students attended the ball along with former George Washington President Steven Knapp and other members of the GW community.

Members of the GW community took part in every aspect of the inauguration weekend, with students, faculty, staff and alumni attending President Donald Trump’s swearing-in, the GW Inaugural Ball and the Women’s March on Washington.

International

GFLEC Hosts Italian Minister of Economy and Finance GWSB’s Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) last semester welcomed Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Pier Carlo Padoan to campus to discuss the center’s research and efforts in promoting financial literacy.

Annamaria Lusardi, Denit Trust Chair of Economics and Accountancy and GFLEC academic director, was recently appointed as director of Italy’s new Financial Education Committee, which is charged with implementing a national strategy for financial education in Italy.

Founded in 2011, GFLEC has positioned itself to be the world’s leading center for financial literacy research and policy.

Through rigorous scholarship and research, wide-reaching education, and global policy and services, the center works with partners in Washington, D.C., throughout the United States and across the globe to raise the level of financial knowledge. GFLEC builds on more than 10 years of academic research by Dr. Lusardi, an early contributor to financial literacy as a field of study. By virtue of its location in the heart of Washington, D.C., the center is positioned to directly influence policymakers.

Also in 2017, Dr. Lusardi received the Skandia Research Award on Long-Term Savings from the Swedish House of Finance at the Stockholm School of Economics, and was listed in the top 1 percent for research citations in business and economics on Clarivate Analytics’ annual “Highly Cited Researchers” list. business.gwu.edu | 9

THE

Worldwide BUSINESS OF SPORTS

GWSB course has taken students to the Olympics’ frontline for a quarter century

By Mary A. Dempsey Lisa Delpy Neirotti so esteems the values embraced by the Olympic Games that she has made them part of her vocation. For her students at the George Washington University School of Business (GWSB), that has translated into a rigorous, but popular, course marked by learning and research trips to the Olympics.

10 | GWSB Spring 2018

Students in the course learn about the business side of the games as preparation for traveling to the Olympics, where they do data collection and other research work.

The course—Behind the Scenes at the Olympics—celebrated its 25th anniversary.

In recent years, it has expanded beyond the Olympic Games to include the World Cup, but the Olympics remain its anchor.

“I want the students to have a love and appreciation for the Olympic movement.

I also want our students to be efficient managers,” said Dr. Delpy Neirotti, who directs the School of Business Sport Management and Master of Tourism Administration (MTA) programs. “Some $365 million a day is given away by the International Olympics Committee to sports entities. If that money can be used in a more efficient way, then more athletes could be touched.”

The course is open to all students at the university, but it resonates most with GWSB students.

The course debuted in 1992. Dr. Delpy Neirotti confesses that the trip to Barcelona with 20 students, after all these years, remains one of her favorites. She was 28— not much older than some of the students— with less than a year on the GWSB faculty.

Sport management was a fledging field at the time.

Then, like now, students paid their own trip expenses, and a big effort was made to keep costs down. That meant traveling by bus and train and sleeping in youth hostels with shared bathrooms. The trip pre-dated cell phones, so keeping track of everyone was a challenge. It was also a longer trip than it is now, stretching over three weeks, and it included cultural activities and tourism.

“We went to Madrid, which was the [European] Capital of Culture that same year, then the World’s Fair in Seville and finally traveled across Spain to Barcelona,” Dr. Delpy Neirotti recalled.

Olympics’ security in those days was lax so her students—from both GWSB and the Elliott School of International Affairs— hobnobbed with the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team, better known as the “USA Dream Team.” When the games concluded, the class headed off to Pamplona for the running of the bulls. The research they did at the games seeded a long-term study that is still underway.

Hani Ibrahim Khoja, MBA ’93, was one of the students on that Barcelona trip.

It was the first time the now-partner at

McKinsey & Co. (the first Saudi partner in the company’s history) had attended the Olympic Games.

“The chance to witness firsthand how the Olympic events are organized and managed was an opportunity of a lifetime.

And spending a summer in Spain? That was the icing on the cake,” Mr. Khoja said.

“The class had no track record yet, but I had heard great feedback about Dr. Lisa Delpy as a subject-matter expert who was passionate about sports organization.”

Khoja recalls a blur of days packed with briefings, tours, question-and-answer sessions with Olympics officials and lots of behind-the-scenes exposure to operations.

“It was truly insightful to see how a global event was delivered with participants, supporters and attendees from across the world,” he said.

Khoja said his running into “USA Dream Team” members Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley on the streets of Barcelona was a personal highlight. On a more practical level, the students had a front-row view of how the world’s premier international sports event was executed. He called it the best course he took in the MBA program.

“With all due respect to the other courses, nothing compares to living and breathing a real-life case study,” he said.

Extraordinary Networking Opportunities Trofym Anderson, MTA ’15, BBA ’14, was a member of GW’s rowing team—and later became a world-class rower and member of Canada’s national team—when he enrolled in Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s class to attend the 2012 London Games. “I was in the middle of my undergrad studies in business administration, and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on yet,” he said. “I knew I wanted to compete at the Olympics one day, so that’s why I took the class.”

He was so affected by the experience at the London Olympics that he set his sights on a career with the International Olympics Committee (IOC). In July 2017 that dream came true. He now works with the IOC’s Games Department in Switzerland.

Mr. Anderson took Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s course again as a graduate student, traveling to Sochi, Russia, where he researched Canada’s system for funding athletes. Then in 2016, he worked with the IOC at the Rio games on a project in which Dr. DelpyNeirotti’s students took part.

Students in the course learn about the business side of the games as preparation for traveling to the Olympics, where they do data collection and other research work. The course— Behind the Scenes at the Olympics— celebrated its 25th anniversary.

business.gwu.edu | 11

“The class is incredible. It’s the only one like it in the entire world…

We met with the director of global sponsorship… it was amazing to see Lisa’s stature at the games. She really puts GW on the map, globally...”

Trofym Anderson, MTA ’15, BBA ’14

“Spanning the globe”…over the years, Dr. Lisa Delpy Neirotti’s “Behind the Scenes at the Olympics” class has taken GWSB students around the world, from Athens to Beijing to Rio de Janeiro, and this winter, to Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea.

12 | GWSB Spring 2018

“The class is incredible. It’s the only one like it in the entire world,” Anderson said.

“You meet with influential members of the Olympic movement—and I don’t mean their interns. We met with the director of global sponsorship.

“And it was amazing to see Lisa’s stature at the games. She really puts GW on the map, globally,” he added.

Daisuke Kitahara, MTA ’02, was in the class for the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. In recent years, he has met with students who travel with Dr. Delpy Neirotti at other games to discuss his work at sportstalent-management company IMG. “I was very motivated at Salt Lake City to see how many people Lisa knew who were involved in the Olympics. I’m glad I became one of them,” said Mr. Kitahara.

During the meetings with GW students, Kitahara details his career path, discusses his work at IMG and talks about the business side of tennis and what it’s like to manage an athlete. At the Rio Olympics, Kitahara’s client Kasumi Ishikawa, who won a bronze medal in table tennis (and earlier won a silver in London), also met with students at the exclusive Asics hospitality house.

Exposure to high-level contacts in the sports-business arena not only add to students’ knowledge, they also open doors to career opportunities. In addition to Anderson, at least two other students landed jobs with links to the IOC. Editra Allen, MTA ’10, BBA ’09, is director of world games and competition for Special Olympics, while Hannes Hoeltge, MBA ’15, is commercial and marketing manager at the International Paralympics Committee.

Ms. Allen was among Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s students at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

After working 10 years as an information technology specialist at The Humane Society of the United States, Ms. Allen had enrolled in the undergraduate business program at GW as part of a career change.

“I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do when I finished the [GWSB] program,” Allen said. “I knew I wanted to be in events. I knew I wanted to be in sports. I had a passion for marketing, but marketing is very competitive.

“When I went to Beijing, I saw how many more marketing opportunities there were,” she said. “It was a great experience and one that I credit for helping me navigate what would be my next steps.”

For her class work in Beijing, Allen surveyed Olympic-goers about their

spending at the games. In 2010, she also traveled to the Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, as Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s assistant.

Citing the scale and scope of investment at the games, Allen described the business lessons as “eye-opening and transformational.” In particular, she was interested in how companies made the decision to invest in the Olympics.

Much of what she learned applies to the Special Olympics, which is also an international sports mega-event producer.

Ms. Allen said GWSB’s F. David Fowler Career Center and Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s connections were pivotal in helping her land high-profile internships—including with the Washington Nationals, Washington Wizards, National Football League Players Association, and Major League Baseball— that opened employment doors.

“The sport industry is very small, and Lisa’s connections are invaluable,” Allen said. “At networking events, one of the icebreaker questions is “Do you know Lisa Delpy?”

Exposure to high-level contacts in the sports-business arena not only add to students’ knowledge, they also open doors to career opportunities.

Mr. Hoeltge was enrolled in the Global MBA program with a concentration in sport management when he heard about the Olympics course headed to Sochi. It sounded interesting, but he hesitated, worried how he would juggle the MBA program requirements if he missed a weekand-a-half of classes to attend the games.

He never regretted his decision to take the class.

“I was interested in the field of sports for social causes,” Hoeltge said. “We met with people who were working in the area of the Olympics legacy…the economic legacy, the change in attitude, the cultural change for the better.”

At Sochi, Hoeltge and his classmates had data-collection assignments and volunteer work at USA House. “Besides that, we basically had two to five meetings every day with different stakeholders of the Olympics to address issues like sponsorship, the organizational size, financial marketing, logistics, sports operations,” he said. “You might have a meeting with someone telling you about how many tons of materials they

OLYMPIC RINGS?

flew into the city, or you have a meeting connected with one of the guys from Visa who established one of the first corporate sponsorships 20 years ago.

“The trip gave us a holistic 360-degree view of the Olympics and everything associated with it,” he said.

Olympic Obsession Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s interest in the Olympics traces back to when she was in high school and college, a competitive swimmer and a follower of the Olympic Games. In 1984, she volunteered at the Summer Games in Los Angeles and interned at the Winter Games in Sarajevo. (Prior to 1994, Summer Games and Winter Games were held the same year.) Four years later, as part of her master’s thesis, the San Diego, Calif., native traveled to the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada.

She subsequently launched a graduate research project to investigate sports events around the world. That project took her to the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.

Dr. Delpy Neirotti cites the Olympic Games’ importance beyond athletics. They changed ideas about corporate sponsorship of sports events, established logistics and

security protocols that have been replicated, created important data-collection and analysis processes and launched innovations that affect tourism and events management.

In effect, they write the best practices playbook.

“The Olympics have always been a passion of mine, as well as a major research area,” Dr. Delpy Neirotti said. “The Olympics set the direction. It’s the ultimate sports events—and it offers many great lessons to be learned.” GWSB

There is no doubt that students expand their knowledge in the course on the Olympics or that they make industry connections that can help their careers. Occasionally there are even other, unexpected, benefits.

“We had a marriage come out of the Salt Lake City Olympics,” Dr. Delpy Neirotti said.

David and Angelica Cipullo recently celebrated their 12th wedding anniversary in Zurich, Switzerland, where he is director of media and marketing for Infront Sports & Media and she runs her own media and events company, Girlfriend Guide to Zurich.

David, MTA ’03, and Angelica (King), MTA ’03, met in Dr. Delpy Neirotti’s course. He was interested in sport management and she was focused on events.

“When you’re at the games, you work together in groups. It really is a bonding experience with the 20 or 25 people in the class. You become close,” David said. He and Angelica hit it off and, three years later, married.

The connections they forged with other students in the class have persisted. At a past job, David hired two classmates. Four members of the class attended the couple’s wedding.

“Lisa came to the wedding, too,” Angelica said. “That’s how tight you all become.”

OLYMPIC GAMES SITES SINCE 1992 Barcelona, Spain, Summer 1992 Lillehammer, Norway, Winter 1994 • Atlanta, Summer 1996 • Nagano, Japan, Winter 1998 • Sydney, Australia, Summer 2000 • Salt Lake City, Winter 2002 • Athens, Greece, Summer 2004 • Turin, Italy, Winter 2006 • Beijing, China, Summer 2008 • Vancouver, Canada, Winter 2010 • London, United Kingdom, Summer 2012 • Sochi, Russia, Winter 2014 • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Summer 2016 • Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea, 2018 •

Dr. Delpy Neirotti cites the Olympic Games’ importance beyond athletics. They changed ideas about corporate sponsorship of sports events…created important data-collection and analysis processes and launched innovations that affect tourism and events management. In effect, they write the best practices playbook.

•

business.gwu.edu | 13

GWSB ALUMNI PROFILE

ANTWANYE FORD

INCREASE YOUR SUCCESS

GWSB, MS ’93 CCAS, BS ’87

CURRENT POSITION: President and CEO of Enlightened, Inc., a company I co-founded in 1999 with fellow GW graduates Andre Rogers, BS ’88, and Thomas Spann III, BS ’88. We are continuing to reinvent the company and respond to the needs in the industry.

On the federal contracting side, we are branching into infrastructure and transportation and offering our technology services—particularly cybersecurity—in both of these areas.

In 2018, we are also launching a new commercial practice aimed at medical, finance and transportation.

FIRST JOB: I’ll go way back. My first job was with the summer youth employment program of Washington, D.C. I interned with the Minority Opportunity Business Commission. It’s an interesting starting point considering that I now mentor entrepreneurs and serve as an adviser to several growing minority-owned businesses.

BIGGEST CHALLENGES: Two challenges stand out. The first is speeding up the failure rate. As young entrepreneurs we didn’t have a lot of mentors who blazed this trail before.

Initially, we made mistakes that were avoidable, but we needed to overcome them quickly without damaging the company. We learned to fail fast. We realized that there was a lot we did not know, and we developed advisory boards to fill the gaps in our knowledge. We still have an advisory board today.

Second, as the company has evolved and grown, the challenge is to have the right balance of multiple generations in the workforce. Particularly in the tech community, you need to embrace the millennial workforce, but you want to have folks who have been in the work world for a while and have certain 14 | GWSB Spring 2018

skills and knowledge. Employees of different generations can speak different languages. Our biggest asset is our people, but it is a constant challenge to bring new ideas to the company while retaining the wisdom that resides with more experienced staff.

BEST B-SCHOOL MEMORY: The group projects—the group dynamics definitely prepared me for the work world. At a school like GW, you are working with students from different backgrounds and different cultures, but we had to learn to communicate and come together to solve problems.

This opened my eyes to looking at problems from different perspectives and opened my ears to make sure I listened to and understood what other people were saying.

HOW GWSB HELPED LEAD TO YOUR CAREER: GWSB taught me how to lead, and not just in terms of a company. It helped me understand how to lead in different environments.

I chaired the board of directors for the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. I am on several national boards. GWSB helped me think bigger than my immediate surroundings.

GOALS: From the corporate perspective, we’re going to look at building a larger organization, whether that’s by acquiring other companies or through a merger. Being a real international company is important to me. We have done work in some international cities, but I aspire to have offices, or at least a physical presence, in cities around the country and the world.

The broader the footprint of the company, the more I can do for the community, which is important to me personally. My personal philosophy is: to

whom much is given, much is required.

I am incorporating a nonprofit foundation to honor and remember my parents, the John and Katherine Ford Foundation. The foundation’s goals are to help young people with their education, to support small businesses’ growth and to assist the underserved.

A FAVORITE BOOK: All Enlightened employees receive a copy of The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John D. Mann. This book talks about how things come full circle; the more you give to others, the more other people are willing to give to you. The other book I recommend is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The first habit—“Be Proactive” —is what really stands out to me.

PERSONAL INFORMATION: I am married and the proud father of three boys, ages 21, 19, and 9. My faith is very important to me. A lot of my values center around my faith.

Currently, I serve as board chair of On-Ramps to Careers. I am also a board member and the regional director of the East Coast Division of the U.S. Black Chambers, Inc. and a board member of the Downtown Cluster’s Geriatric Day Care Center.

Most recently in 2017, I was appointed to the District of Columbia Workforce Investment Council as a commissioner.

I also serve on the advisory board for the Howard University School of Business, Information Systems, and the Archbishop Carroll High School’s President’s Council.

Editor's note: You can read more about Mr. Ford and Enlightened, Inc. on the GW Alumni blog gwalumni.org/2017/10/ gw-alumnus-brings-light-into-darkness

GET A GW SCHOOL OF BUSINESS GRADUATE CERTIFICATE

GWSB’s Graduate Certificate programs are designed to meet the demands of an evolving workforce, providing candidates with the in-demand knowledge and skills they need to succeed.

These programs offer working professionals the means to hone existing skills or set them on the path to a change in careers, delivering comprehensive instruction in a convenient format without the time and money investment required by traditional post-graduate degree programs.

GWSB’s Graduate Certificate programs also are designed to serve as an introduction to advanced degrees in a wide range of business disciplines. Several of the certificate programs allow for credits earned to be put toward a full master’s degree.

GWSB offers Graduate Certificate Programs in: • Accounting • Business Analytics • Business Foundations • Digital Marketing & Communications • Financial Management • Hospitality Management • Human Capital Management • Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship • International Business • Investments & Portfolio Management • Management Leadership • Management of Technology & Innovation • Marketing & Brand Management • Project Management • Responsible Management • Sports Management • Walkable Urban Real Estate Development

To learn more about these graduate certificate programs, go to page 31 of this magazine or visit go.gwu.edu/gwsbgradcertificates.

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The LATEST THINKING on the

BENEFITS of

GLOBAL TRADE

By Danny Leipziger Professor of International Business and International Affairs Managing Director of the Growth Dialogue

Ever since the works of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, international trade and the benefits to be derived from commerce have been a mainstay of Western economic thinking. The notion that specialization based on national comparative advantage would lead to improved welfare outcomes is, thus, deeply enshrined in our collective economic DNA. And, indeed, it is hard to argue with the fact that most consumers gain from the availability of cheaper products that stretches their earnings to be able to afford more.

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With globalization have come significant new benefits, for both firms and individuals, but also new and sometimes sizeable costs. One of the first to recognize the costs was Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who … highlighted that not much was being done for the losers of globalization.

It was always understood that in this process of global trade, some industries would lose while others would gain. Similarly, the owners of capital and the providers of labor in declining industries would need to reallocate their resources, capital and labor to new economic activities. How that would be done was often considered a second-order issue. Of course, when textile mills started closing in New England, and when shoemakers in Vermont lost jobs, there were local regional dislocations that carried with them serious consequences.

However, inasmuch as the economy was growing and there were new opportunities, the adjustment costs were considered manageable.

At the same time, the benefits of international trade for the development of nations have been astonishing. Beginning with the “ tigers” of East Asia, economic growth has been led by expanding exports of competitively priced goods, bringing huge gains in countries such as Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore, closely followed by phenomenal advances in Thailand, Malaysia, and most recently, China and Vietnam. None of this economic progress and reduction in global poverty would have been possible without global trade.

In light of these factors that have dominated the world economy, especially since the explosion of globalization—namely the rapid expansion in global trade and the explosion of cross-border capital flows— why are there any doubts that trade will continue to play the same role it has played in the future?

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS Over the course of the last two decades, the role of international trade has taken on even greater significance. Due in large measure to the advances in logistics and the fall in transportation costs—phenomena like containerization, that we take for granted, for example—the benefits of trade have increased. The term Global Value Chains implies that products can cross borders many times before they reach their sales endpoint, and in fact, it is often hard to tell where parts of the production chain are located. This trend has been helped by the general reduction of tariffs in successive rounds of trade negotiation and by the easing of cross-border transactions. With globalization have come significant new benefits, for both firms and individuals, but also new and sometimes sizeable

18 | GWSB Spring 2018

costs. One of the first to recognize the costs was Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who in his prescient book, Globalization and Its Discontents, highlighted that not much was being done for the losers of globalization.

Since this alarm was rung, and largely ignored, we have seen the growth of offshore production not only of goods (think of the iPhone and the fact that it is mostly produced in East Asia with a value of $100 compared to its U. S. sales price), but we have also experienced offshoring of services. Call centers in East and South Asia handle myriad functions for manufacturers, banks, airlines and other service providers.

Of course, this lowers the cost if there is service (provided there is either rigorous competition or effective regulation), but it also displaces jobs. This phenomenon has troubled the labor market in the U. S. and most government interventions, small though they are, have been ineffective.

A CALL TO ARMS Recent political developments in the U. S. are shaped to some extent by a backlash to trade. Although empirical work by David H. Autor, David Dorn and Gordon H. Hanson, among others, tends to show that the majority of American jobs were lost to technology rather than to imports, the perception persists that trade is the culprit.

Hence calls for protectionism. What is lost in this debate is, first, the fact that a significant portion of household spending on imports would, in their absence, absorb a far larger share of disposable income.

Second, the argument that foreigners are the drivers of imports is also wrong due to the large proportion of imported materials and inputs into U. S. production. This is why most American corporations do not support a renegotiation of NAFTA, because their production is hugely integrated within North America.

This is not to say that trade is perfectly managed or that there have not been significant misbehaviors by global traders.

There are celebrated cases of “dumping,” where goods are sold at prices either below what they fetch in home markets—or even more problematically, are sold below their production cost. The rationale for the exporter is to boost domestic employment or maintain market share. For recipient countries, domestic industries face unfair competition, and the WTO adjudication has been too slow and cumbersome. More damaging to fair trade have been illegal

subsidies and state-supported capitalism in a number of major exporting countries, mostly in East Asia. This creates distortions and raises political pressure to limit imports.

Professor Dani Rodrick, in his book The Globalization Paradox, describes a political “trilemma” in which governments can only choose two of the following three objectives: democracy, the pursuit of national economic interests or hyperglobalization. His argument is that the U. S. chose democracy and hyper-globalization— but with the latter the implications that government is indifferent to where things are produced, where profits are stashed and where taxes are paid is singularly at odds with national economic interest.

State capitalists, on the other hand, such as China, need not worry about democracy and are free to pursue the other two goals, making the economic tradeoffs necessary without worrying about the ballot box.

In light of these developments, some new rules of the game seem necessary. However, the consensus built by the major post-war economic actors is dissolving due to the advent of new economic players, changes in the global economic environment and major domestic changes in key economies.

Among the latter changes, we may include the rise of a new middle class in China and elsewhere. In the U. S. it is seen in the dramatic shift to greater income inequality, coming at a time of significant economic change. These events lead to pessimism that the status quo can be maintained and a view that the nature of global trade may be changing.

it. There are economic reasons for these emerging trends, but the consequence is that we will see slower advances in world trade for the next decade.

I say this because, in addition to factors noted above, this is a new phenomenon of disruptive technology that is changing where and how things are produced and how services are delivered. From robotics to 3D printing to artificial intelligence, the nature of production is changing, is becoming more labor-saving and is also becoming less import-intensive. While this may bring benefits to some, it will re-enforce the difficulties of the past few decades insofar as jobs will be lost and economic dislocation will increase. In the U. S., where the labor market is already being bifurcated into jobs for low-income earners and those for the tech-savvy, this trend will not only be challenging for individuals and households, but also for government.

Public policy will need to come to grips with more job losses and further pressure on an already unequal distribution of income.

In this environment, the benefits of trade will be seen as even smaller and the pressure toward protectionism may well increase.

The real failure is a domestic public policy one, but the scapegoat may be international trade. This would be a poor outcome and one that would prove immiserizing in the long term. GWSB

From robotics to 3D printing…the nature of production is changing…less import-intensive.

While this may bring benefits to some, it will re-enforce the difficulties… insofar as jobs will be lost and economic dislocation will increase…

The real failure is a domestic public policy one, but the scapegoat may be international trade.

TODAY’S CHALLENGES I draw again on Professor Rodrik, who in his latest book, Straight Talk on Trade, argues that part of the blame for the backlash against trade falls on economists who became cheerleaders instead of analysts.

He focuses on episodes of government subsidies, currency manipulation and unfair labor laws. This has validity. However, more disconcerting is the outlook for the future.

China, the world’s second largest economy has in its Made in China 2025 Report (2015) laid out a strategy to assert dominance in next sectors and to use state support to achieve these goals. This unveiled an open industrial policy that comes at a time when global value chains are said to have peaked and global trade is no longer outpacing global growth, but rather lagging behind

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S TAT E S M A N , S O L D I E R , G W S B A LU M N U S

‘ GW WA S A FAC TO R I N M Y S U CC E S S ’ …With all those accomplishments, it may seem surprising that the retired four-star general is focusing his energy on a place where his achievements were less than stellar: undergraduate college.

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General Powell on the City College of New York campus with newly installed college President Vincent Boudreau.

Powell might have learned about computer programming at GWSB but, more importantly, he absorbed lessons in leadership, management theory and human relations—areas that influenced his military career.

22 | GWSB Spring 2018

Colin Powell, MBA ’71, is a professional soldier whose record is marked with superlatives. He served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and in civilian positions under four U.S. presidents, including as national security adviser and secretary of state. He is a noted public speaker, author and thought leader. And he holds an honorary degree in public service from the George Washington University.

With all those accomplishments, it may seem surprising that the retired four-star general is focusing his energy on a place where his achievements were less than stellar: undergraduate college.

Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership General Powell, 80, is busily engaged these days with the 4-year-old Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at the City College of New York (CCNY). A third of CCNY’s students are enrolled in the school and, as the general makes a point to note, they hail from Queens, the South Bronx, Harlem and beyond. Powell speaks with great satisfaction when he describes how these young strivers are learning about service, leadership and community involvement.

“I’m very proud of what’s going on at the Powell School,” he said.

The school encompasses all the social science programs at CCNY, where the general earned a bachelor of science in geography in 1958. It is also at CCNY that Powell entered the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program that led him to the U.S. Army. He became the nation’s first chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with a ROTC background.

Still, at CCNY he was “having a good time” rather than focusing on academics.

“I got straight A’s in ROTC but C’s in everything else,” the general said, noting that those less-than-impressive grades would not have flagged him as someone who would find a passion in education.

Colin Powell may have taken the American Dream story and given it a high-octane boost, but his roots remain an integral part of his story. That’s why his civilian life—he retired from the Army in 1993—is increasingly focused on providing education and leadership skills to young adults who started life much like he did: as immigrants or with immigrant

parents, without deep pockets to invest in education, but with a willingness to serve their communities and country.

The Colin Powell School grew out of a 1997 gift made by the Rudin Family Foundation to create a center for diplomacy studies bearing the general’s name. “It was going to be a think tank,” Powell explained.

His engagement with the center was put on the back burner when President George W. Bush named him secretary of state in 2001.

Powell reconnected with the center after he left the government in 2005—and decided he wanted to make it more than a place for policy recommendations.

“I looked around the room at the students. There was every ethnicity, race and language that you could imagine. This was me 50 years ago—immigrant kids, poor kids, [kids] coming from families where no one had graduated from college,” said Powell, whose parents were from Jamaica.

“It was all half-a-mile from where I lived as a child.

“I said then, ‘I don’t want a think tank…I want to make it student oriented.’”

Part of that transformation has been to ensure that what transpires outside the classrooms is as important as what happens inside them.

“I want to expose these kids to the Council on Foreign Relations, to other schools, to take them in groups to meet Wall Street friends of mine,” Powell said.

“I want them to meet people who started low on the totem pole and climbed. I want them to apply what they’re learned to the community.”

He had one other request of CCNY administration: no dropouts. The curricula and programs are designed to ensure that students reach their academic goals.

The school’s high-profile board of visitors includes Powell and three other former secretaries of state—Madeleine Albright, James Baker III and Henry Kissinger— as well as, among others, Carnegie Corporation of New York President Vartan Gregorian, Time magazine editor-at-large Fareed Zakaria, business executive and civil rights leader Vernon Jordan Jr., The Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein and Powell’s daughter, actress Linda Powell.

From Vietnam to Foggy Bottom More than a decade separated Powell’s undergraduate studies at CCNY and his 1971 MBA from GW.

“I want to expose these kids to the Council on Foreign Relations, to other schools, to take them in groups to meet Wall Street friends of mine,” Powell said. “I want them to meet people who started low on the totem pole and climbed. I want them to apply what they’re learned to the community.”

General Powell greets CCNY graduates after delivering the commencement address at the college’s Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership.

On a second tour in Vietnam, during which he was wounded, Powell decided to follow the example of officers around him and return to school. The Army took a look at his undergraduate record, he recalled, and expressed doubt about whether he could make it through graduate school. Then they examined his record at U.S. Army General Staff College, where he was second in his class in the summer of 1968.

“That demonstrated that I could do graduate work,” he said.

He took his GREs in a tent in Vietnam and chose GW because it would take him to Washington, D.C., but he knew the

military—which was paying his tuition— could send him to the university of its choosing. “The Army decided where I would go to school, not me, but this time it worked out,” he said.

He envisioned enrollment in a foreign policy degree program or something similar.

Instead, the Army directed him to a graduate program in data processing, which was still a fledgling field in the late 1960s and early ’70s. Many of his fellow students were also Vietnam veterans. As they left their Foggy Bottom classes, they often smelled tear gas from anti-war protests near the White House.

Married with two children and a third on the way, the graduate work was a juggling act. Among other things, Powell had to push to bring himself up to speed in math.

After two years, plus summer sessions, he completed the degree. His only B came in a computer programming class, pulling his average down to an A-, but still a strong academic showing.

Powell might have learned about computer programming at GWSB but, more importantly, he absorbed lessons in leadership, management theory and human relations—areas that influenced his military career—while being exposed to the ideas of

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PUBLIC CITIZEN, PRIVATE CONCERNS As a military man, Colin Powell has had the care and survival of the nation’s soldiers in his hands. As secretary of state, he guided U.S. foreign policy during turbulent times. Does retirement mean the former soldier and statesman can now sleep easy?

“I worry about domestic issues,” he said, citing U.S. education and infrastructure.

“I worry about our political issues…We have a Congress that is not functioning anymore.”

Powell pointed to growing anti-Semitism in the United States as something that especially troubles him. As the first African American secretary of state and the first African American chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he is no stranger to hate speech. After he makes public statements, his assistant must go into the retired general’s social media accounts to delete racist comments that people post.

Powell said vitriol has always been a U.S. reality, but technology and the anonymity of the Internet have provided it with a consequences-free soapbox.

Back on campus, with GW past president Steven Knapp, General Powell signs copies of his book, It Worked for Me.

“GW was a turning point in my life…

I demonstrated not only to the Army but to myself that I could do anything I applied myself to.”

Colin Powell, MBA ’71

24 | GWSB Spring 2018

early 20th century thinkers like Frederick Herzberg, whose scholarship focused on motivational theory, and Abraham Maslow, who created the notion of the hierarchy of need.

“They gave me a philosophical understanding of my leadership in the military,” he said, adding that class discussions also provided a civilian underpinning that served him in later years.

“The George Washington University had a lot to do with my subsequent success.”

And that data-processing expertise he picked up at GW? “I never really applied it in the Army but it was with me when I left the Army and took two corporate board positions, at Gulfstream and at America Online,” he said.

“AOL was growing by about 100,000 new email users per month at that time.”

Powell was also mindful of technology when, as secretary of state, he boosted the computer systems at the massive agency. “I bought 44,256 computers and put one on every desk in the State Department,” he said. “I changed not just software, but [also] hardware and brain ware.”

After he graduated from GW, Powell worked for a short time at the Pentagon in the Office of the Vice Chief of Staff. The draft had ended and the military found itself competing with private-sector employers as it tried to attract new recruits. He was involved in that planning.

Then, unexpectedly in late 1971—Richard Nixon was president—the Army encouraged the rising officer to apply for a White House fellowship. Selected as one of 17 fellows (from among more than 1,500 applicants), Powell served his fellowship year at the Office of Management and Budget, where he met high-level figures, among them Frank Carlucci, Fred Malek, George Shultz and Caspar Weinberger, who would hold pivotal roles in the U.S. government and whose paths he would cross again repeatedly.

After the fellowship, he traveled extensively with the Army, including to China. “That experience made me something of a real resource to the United States Army,” he said.

He then attended the National War College, “learning more about strategic thinking and leadership.” He said GW,

the White House fellowship and the war college studies “prepared me for the rest of my career.”

In 1987, Powell was named national security adviser to President Ronald Reagan. Four years later, he went in the history books when President George H.W. Bush named him chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the youngest officer and the first African American to carry that title.

He remained in the position until early into the Clinton administration.

After capping his government work as secretary of state, he increasingly found himself drawn to education-related issues, culminating with his connection with the Colin Powell School.

In tracing his career trajectory, Powell said it was GW that provided the essential lesson.

“GW was a turning point in my life,” the general said. “I demonstrated not only to the Army but to myself that I could do anything I applied myself to.” GWSB

He also told GWBusiness that more must be done to vigorously address gun violence. He characterized the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution as “sacrosanct” but said the government needs to know more about the people who buy firearms. He believes some mass shootings are fueled by the notoriety—or “celebrification”—the killers receive from the news media, especially television.

Not everything that troubles him is domestic. He also fears the United States is losing its standing on the global stage. “We’re pulling back on climate change, on trade deals, and the rest of the world is looking at us and saying, ‘Maybe the Americans’ system of democracy is not what we need,’” he said.

Any good news? The general does not fear war with North Korea. He said Kim Jong-Un is “not suicidal” and knows the United States is a mightier adversary.

He also sees no war with Iran on the horizon.

Although not a candidate during the 2016 president election, Powell received three electoral college votes. (Three electors pledged to Democrat Hillary Clinton cast their votes for the general instead.) Even today, his Facebook page is peppered with supporters asking him to seek the presidency.

“I will never run for president,” he declared, adding that he doesn’t “have the stomach” for today’s partisan politics.

“Besides,” he added, “I’d never get elected: I’m half-Republican and halfDemocrat.”

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CLIMATE CHANGE: A CO R P OR AT E R E S P O N S I B I L ITY

GWSB’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility and the ‘DC Climathon’

By Dan Michaelis

T H R O U G H O U T T H E I R S T U D I E S AT G W S B B O T H U N D E R G R A D U AT E A N D G R A D U AT E S T U D E N T S A R E I M M E R S E D I N A N A C A D E M I C C U LT U R E T H AT S T R E S S E S “ D O I N G G O O D ” A S W E L L A S “ D O I N G W E L L ”… A N D T H E V I T A L I M P O R T A N C E O F B U S I N E S S E T H I C S A N D R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y.

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A

t the George Washington School of Business, business is about more than just the bottom line. Throughout their studies at GWSB both undergraduate and graduate students are immersed in an academic culture that stresses “doing good” as well as “doing well.” Whether studying accountancy, international business, management, marketing or one of the other business disciplines offered at GWSB, students receive steady reinforcement of the vital importance of business ethics and responsibility.

A key advocate for this message is GWSB’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility (ICR).

ICR, which was chartered by the university in 2006, “is devoted to the development and dissemination of scholarship, including research and teaching pertaining to corporate responsibility. It serves as a vehicle for continuing education, curriculum development, conferences and seminars each of which will address needs of the GWSB, GW and the wider Washington, D.C., community.”

A perfect example of the ICR’s advocacy and student engagement in promoting social responsibility among future business leaders is its co-sponsorship (along with the GW Office of Sustainability) of the annual DC Climathon, which just recently completed its third running.

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The “Climathon” is a type of “hackathon,” John J. Forrer, associate research professor of strategic management & public policy and ICR director, explained. A hackathon is an extended brainstorming session—typically 24 hours in length—in which a group of individuals works together to arrive at and propose solutions to problem.

The challenge for this year’s DC Climathon teams was to come up with a practical plan for serving the District’s most vulnerable populations— persons with disabilities, senior citizens and residents of low-income communities— in the event of a climate-caused disaster situation.

28 | GWSB Spring 2018

The “Climathon” is a type of “hackathon,”…an extended brainstorming session…in which a group of individuals works together to arrive at…solutions to problem.

— Dr. John J. Forrer, associate research professor of strategic management & public policy and ICR director

Climathon is a competitive, global 24-hour hackathon that takes place simultaneously in major cities around the world (Oct. 27, this past year). As its name denotes, Climathon is focused on solving problems related to climate, specifically, climate change. The event includes student participants from all over the D.C. area, not just GW, according to Dr. Forrer, who serves as a faculty adviser for the DC Climathon.

The challenge for this year’s DC Climathon teams was to come up with a practical plan for serving the District’s most vulnerable populations—persons with disabilities, senior citizens and residents of low-income communities—in the event of a climate-caused disaster situation. The event was supported by the District of Columbia’s Department of Energy and Environment, which took particular interest in the competition.

“Climate change is here. We’re seeing bigger storms, flooding and sea levels rising.

It’s affecting all of us. But it is not affecting all of us equally,” said Dan Gilbeault, director of the D.C. Department of Energy and the Environment. “Seniors and differently abled people may need to get information in different ways, may need more time and new ways, to get out of tricky situations during a disaster,” he said.

“The Climathon started with the participants meeting among themselves to assemble teams,” Dr. Forrer said. “Putting

together teams is part of the process, as students from different area schools, with different interests, different educational backgrounds and different specialties break off into the groups of four or five to tackle the assigned problem.” Dr. Forrer added that the format helps participants build necessary skills in cooperation and the ability to work together.

The competition concluded with teams presenting their proposals to a panel of judges. The October DC Climathon produced two groups who went on to a second, and final, round of judging. The two finalists—weMesh and Power to the People—made their pitches to a panel of four technology and business experts on Dec. 11, 2017.

Members of weMesh, GW students Abigail Demasi, a mechanical engineering senior, and Joseph Schiarizzi, presented a solution based on a device they developed that would connect or “create a mesh network” of vulnerable communities when phone systems or cell towers fail. It would allow people to send text messages and voice-recorded messages through peer-topeer communication.

Team Power to the People—Felipe Bohorquez, BA ’16; George Raskovic, a graduate student in international affairs specializing in development; Aditi Seth, a graduate student in international science and technology policy; and Sesan Dehghan, an IT program manager— pitched a project to train unemployed people in low-income communities to install new and emerging technologies that reduce energy demand.

Ultimately, the judges declared team Power to the People the winner. Judges also said they saw great potential in team weMesh’s project, so they split the top-prize award of $10,000 between the two, with $7,000 going to the winner and $3,000 going to the runner up.

In Dr. Forrer’s view, exercises such as the DC Climathon provide both educational and real-world value, and often produce effective solutions to significant climatechange challenges. He added that the business world is becoming more involved in advancing those solutions.

(Left) Climathon contestants make their pitch to the judges. (Right) 2017 DC Climathon winners, ‘Power to the People,’ left to right: Sesan Dehghan, Aditi Seth, Felipe Bohorquez and George Raskovic.

“ Interest in climate change is increasingly expanding across business and industry…there’s tremendous concern on a human level, but there are also practical business reasons for taking steps to address climate change.…any change or disruption represents a business opportunity.”

Dr. John J. Forrer, associate research professor of strategic management & public policy and ICR director “Interest in climate change is increasingly expanding across business and industry,” he said. “Of course there’s tremendous concern on a human level, but there are also practical business reasons for taking steps to address climate change.

“In the first place, any change or disruption represents a business opportunity,” Dr. Forrer said. “And in business, some are leaders and some are laggers. Due to a current lack of government pressure, the laggers might not be coming along. They need to be made to understand that there is a business purpose and a business advantage in voluntarily cutting emissions. Reducing emissions can be good business,” he said.

“The number one concern for the future is resilience,” Dr. Forrer added. “The severity, timing and rapid succession of hurricanes in 2017 revealed that many operations systems are not resilient. It’s clear that the need for preparedness and developing the ability to survive and adapt to—or avoid—such catastrophic disruptions makes climate change a priority for business as well as the rest of society.” GWSB

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GWSB ALUMNI PROFILE

MARCIA BULLARD

gw school of business

Graduate Certificates

GWSB, MBA ’01 Southern Illinois University BS, Journalism, ’74 CURRENT POSITION: I am the board chair of Heart of America Foundation, which refurbishes school libraries in underserved communities.

Since I retired as president & CEO of USA WEEKEND magazine at Gannett, I’ve become more actively involved in nonprofit work. I’m vice president of the Fund for Investigative Journalism and on boards, including Points of Light and the Southern Illinois University Foundation. Perhaps most important, I spend two days a week working with 7th and 8th grade students as a tutor at a Philadelphia public school.

FIRST JOB: As soon as I turned 15, I got a work permit and bused tables at Clara’s Cafeteria at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in my hometown of Springfield, Ill. It took about a week to finagle myself into the less onerous task of manning the cafeteria line! Later in high school and college, I worked at various newspapers and landed my first professional job out of college as a nighttime reporter at the Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester, N.Y. BIGGEST CHALLENGES: Working on the start-up of USA TODAY in 1982 was definitely the biggest thrill and greatest challenge of my career. I was brought to Washington with a small team of reporters and editors from around the country to invent a new kind of newspaper. It was revolutionary at the time—the first national daily, with more color, graphics, sports and popular culture coverage than any other news source. Because it was so different, it was 30 | GWSB Spring 2018

mocked by journalists—but it was a huge success with readers, and within 10 years, very profitable. Those 18-hour days paid off—and so did trying out new ideas and persisting through difficulty.

BEST B-SCHOOL MEMORY: Being assigned to a small study group and working with that group over time was both fun and instructive. Sixteen years later, we are still friends and get together to consult about new business challenges. Our group had a variety of personalities and work habits; we learned a lot that has been valuable over the years—about handling the inevitable conflicts in life and the merits of team problem solving.

HOW GWSB HELPED LEAD TO YOUR CAREER: I was 46 when I enrolled in the Executive MBA program at GWSB, just three years after being named president & CEO of the largest circulation publication at Gannett. I had been a reporter and editor my entire career. Suddenly I was overseeing advertising, finance, circulation and production as well as editorial; I wanted to understand more about those disciplines.

My EMBA professors were a great resource; they kept things relevant and fast-moving. Learning the language of business and key financial and marketing concepts really helped me develop my business ideas and communicate them better to corporate colleagues.

Today those business school lessons are a huge asset as I work with nonprofits to improve operations and

impact, and with colleagues starting new businesses.

GOALS: Making our world better before I leave it is the main goal.

I figure I have another 20 years to make an impact. I’m proud that we founded the national day of volunteering, Make A Difference Day at USA WEEKEND. That opened my eyes to the enormous economic and social importance of the nonprofit sector. Nonprofits are doing important and needed work, and the increasing number of social entrepreneurs is exciting. I plan to be a part of that. And of course, to spend time with my new granddaughter Lucy.

A FAVORITE BOOK: Currently on the nightstand: The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, and Peace is Every Step

by Thich Nhat Hanh.

PERSONAL INFORMATION: My husband Tom McNamara is an editor at the Philadelphia Inquirer, so the vitality of our news media is important to both of us. Our daughter Emily and son-in-law David in New York City keep us attuned to Broadway, and their baby Lucy is our new indulgence. We enjoy working in our yard in D.C., and the city life at our condo in Philly. I love to travel and stay in touch with my far-flung brothers and sisters.

a new pathway to

CAREER SUCCESS

By Mary A. Dempsey

When U.S. News & World Report made its education predictions for 2017, certificate programs and other nontraditional programming topped the list.

The George Washington University School of Business (GWSB) was already there.

GWSB - AHEAD OF THE CURVE FOR CAREER SUCCESS In fall 2017, GWSB launched a suite of new graduate-level certificate programs. The certificates offer specialization options for both current business school graduate students and for working professionals who meet GWSB admissions criteria.

“These certificates serve multiple goals,” said GWSB Interim Dean Vivek Choudhury, who guided the introduction of the new programs. “They respond to how the workforce is evolving to require multiple skill sets. They provide a common structure for people who want to specialize or extend the scope of their degree.”

Dr. Choudhury, a professor of information systems and technology, said that for

current MBA students, a certificate serves a purpose similar to a concentration or an academic major. An MBA student, for example, might also earn a Certificate in Finance to underscore additional knowledge in that area. For working professionals, the certificate programs build expertise or open the path for a career change without the time and money investment required by a full graduate degree. They also allow working professionals who might be considering a GWSB degree to test the waters.

GWSB already offered two certificates—a Certificate in Walkable Urban Real Estate Development and a Certificate in Responsible Management— before adding the additional 16 this year.

Some of the graduate certificates are tied to GWSB research institutes or centers. The

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“These certificates serve multiple goals…They respond to how the workforce is evolving to require multiple skill sets. They provide a common structure for people who want to specialize or extend the scope of their degree.” – GWSB Interim Dean Vivek Choudhury

The following graduate certificates are now available at GWSB. The certificates in bold text offer direct pipelines into current master’s degrees: Accounting

Certificate in Walkable Urban Real Estate Development, for example, is linked to the Center for Real Estate and Urban Analysis.

“Many of our new certificate offerings provide a direct pipeline into a specialized master’s degree,” said GWSB Master of Science Program Director Cara Richards, who is overseeing enrollment for the graduate certificate programs. “For example, a Certificate in Business Information Systems can apply to the MS in information systems technology or a Certificate in Project Management can apply to the MS in project management.

“We’re finding that students want to be able to stack credentials. On top of an information systems and technology management degree, they may want to get a certificate in business analytics,” she said.

“The certificates make job candidates more marketable.“ “In other words, a student who seeks the certificate for professional development may then want to continue to complete the MS,” she added.

In many cases, currently enrolled graduate students who opt for a certificate program as an area of additional focus to their degree do not necessarily have to take additional classes. Rather, they adjust their course selections to meet both the degree and the certificate requirements.

“We’re finding that students want to be able to stack credentials. On top of an information systems and technology management degree, they may want to get a certificate in business analytics,” she said.

“The certificates make job candidates more marketable.

“I think we’re ahead of the curve on this.”

For working professionals, the certificate requirements can be satisfied in as few as two semesters. Recent alumni may be able to apply some of their past GWSB credits toward a certificate. Similarly, people

32 | GWSB Spring 2018

enrolled in a certificate program may be able to apply some of those credits to an MBA or other advanced degree.

The next enrollment period is for fall 2018 coursework.

One certificate—the Certificate in Business Foundations—is designed for non-MBA students who want to acquire core knowledge and skills associated with an MBA. Students in the business foundations certificate program focus on four core areas: finance, marketing, financial accounting, and organizations and human capital.

“These are not a substitute for an MBA,” according to MBA Program Director N. Andrew Cohen, “but they involve skills that it takes to run a business.”

The certificate is aimed at three groups, according to Dr. Cohen, who oversees the program.

1. Students Getting a Master's Degree Who Also Want to Add On Broader Skillsets “For students who might be getting a master’s degree in accounting, for example, the business foundations certificate allows them to explore more broadly the rest of general business functions,” he said. “These students know they’ll go into some kind of focused accounting role in an organization, but they also want to be able to say to their employer, ‘I have a broader view of what it is to run an organization.’

2. Working Professionals “Another group of students who will benefit from the Certificate in Business Foundations is working professionals who do not have a business background but anticipate the need for it in their current or future roles,” Dr. Cohen continued. “For example, attorneys or accountants who are growing in their careers might find that they need more general management or business skills, which the certificate provides.”

3. Students Who Want To Sample the MBA

that they do, indeed, want an MBA. In this way, the Business Foundations Certificate provides students an opportunity to sample an MBA before fully committing the time it involves.

BENEFITS TO STUDENTS AND EMPLOYERS Individuals pursuing the Certificate in Business Foundations are enrolled in the same classes as part-time MBA students, usually in the evenings. As an alternative, their courses are also available online, with weekly interaction with a live instructor via video.

“Employers come to us and say they want students with certain kinds of skills.

Certificates respond to that,” Dr. Cohen explained. “Students have always had an opportunity to concentrate in certain areas, but the certificate serves as an additional credential. We believe this is helping students position themselves in the marketplace.”

“I think we’re ahead of the curve on this.” – Cara Richards, GWSB Master of Science Program Director

A NONTRADITIONAL PATH TO SUCCESS Dr. Choudhury said he expected more business schools to begin moving in the direction of graduate certificates.

“We want to have more flexible pathways for students. And in the corporate world, you may have someone who says, ‘I’ve been working for a while and need to shore up my credentials in technology or investment manage or analytics, but I don’t need a whole degree,’” he said. “The certificates offer a more focused skill set that they may need. And, in some cases, it may be even be a pathway to a degree.” GWSB

Business Analytics Business Foundations (non-MBA students only) Business Information Systems Digital Marketing & Communications Financial Management Hospitality Management Human Capital Management Innovation, Creativity & Entrepreneurship International Business (GWSB students only) Investments & Portfolio Management Management Leadership Management of Technology & Innovation Marketing & Brand Management Project Management Responsible Management (GW students only) Sports Management Walkable Urban Real Estate Development

For more information, visit: https://business.gwu.edu/ prospective-students/graduatecertificate-admissions

Dr. Cohen noted that some people enrolled in the certificate program may determine

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GWSB DEVELOPMENT + ALUMNI NEWS

Message from the Chairman

MITCH BLASER

“ The number one factor for enhanced experience for both students and alumni is that we connect you to one another and to GWSB.”

GWSB Board of Advisors

The world is changing, and so is GW. We are excited to welcome a new university president, Tom LeBlanc, and a search process is underway to find a new dean for GWSB. The expectation is that we will have a new dean announced before the end of the academic year, and this individual will bring new energy to the school.

34 | GWSB Spring 2018

OUR FOCUS

During these dynamic times, our advisory board continues to focus on the “3 W’s”— Work, Wisdom, and Wealth—to help make a difference in the experiences and futures of GWSB students.

1. W ork the goal for board members is to make a difference by showing up at and participating in GWSB events 2. Wisdom the goal for board members is to add value by tapping into the experiences, connections and expertise of the board, and providing direct support to the students 3. Wealth the goal for board members is to focus on supporting the Development and Alumni Relations staff in its fundraising and engagement efforts

OUR PRIORITIES

Currently, we are concentrating on three important priorities: 1. Student recruiting branding GWSB and attracting the best and brightest 2. Student experience ensuring we are being holistic and actively engaging students 3. Student Outcomes career planning, mentoring, internship and job placement

WHAT'S NEXT

In the next year we will roll out a comprehensive alumni engagement plan to connect you with other alumni, current students and our incredible faculty.

LET'S CONNECT

If at any time I can be helpful, do not hesitate in reaching out to me through Natalie Fleischman, assistant VP for development and alumni relations at nfleischman@gwu.edu.

Our new alumni relations director, Marie Treanor, GWSB BA ’87, MPA ’94, began in November and is setting forth a plan for engagement and inclusion we plan to launch in FY19.

If you are interested in participating in any of the areas mentioned, we welcome your engagement.

The number one factor for enhanced experience for both students and alumni is that we connect you to one another and to GWSB. That connection leads to important synergies and outcomes that would be impossible to create through the classroom experience alone.

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GWSB DEVELOPMENT + ALUMNI NEWS DEVELOPMENT REPORT

PARI provides students with real-world investment experience and invaluable professional networking opportunities with accomplished investment professionals.

Created in 2005 by a leadership gift from Russ Ramsey, BBA ’81 and former chair of GW’s Board of Trustees, PARI funds under management have grown significantly. In 2008, an undergraduate fund was added and named in honor of former GWSB Dean Susan Phillips. Recently, real estate and venture funds were created, seeded by generous gifts from Charles Bendit, BBA ’75, and David Asper, MS ’72, respectively.

Managing these funds offers GW students critical hands-on experience that prepares them for careers in finance and investments, increases their potential for success, and builds wealth for the institution overall. The funds now total nearly $5 million in aggregate. There are many opportunities for GWSB alumni and friends to get involved with PARI, as advisers, mentors, guest lecturers and career treks hosts. Contact Rodney Lake, GWSB, at rlake@gwu.edu to learn more.

5 | Merdinger Accounting Bequest

Steven Merdinger, BBA ’76, made a bequest intention to GWSB’s Department of Accounting. Mr. Merdinger, who began his career at the accounting firm of Cooper’s and Lybrand, is a certified public accountant at KMR LLP.

RECENT GIFTS

1| Alumni Gift Helps Students Go Abroad

Christine M. Brown-Quinn, GMBA ’92, and her husband Tom Quinn made a bequest of $100,000, which will create the BrownQuinn Fund for International Internship Support. This fund will provide financial assistance to students who are pursuing international internships or studying abroad.

wC Gift Supports Financial 2 | PLiteracy An essential skill for the 21st century, but one that many young people lack, is financial

36 | GWSB Spring 2018

literacy—core financial knowledge that individuals need to take responsibility for their own financial security and future.

A $690,000 gift from PwC US is helping to close this knowledge gap by supporting the Financial Literacy Fast Lane, a project now under development at GWSB’s Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC). The project is creating an online toolkit that will help parents, guardians, principals and educators around the country more easily add financial literacy courses into their school’s curricula. The toolkit is expected to launch in January 2019.

3 | Scholarship Gift Aids Veterans Brian Moran, MS ’07, a U.S. Navy veteran, created a $20,000 scholarship for a GWSB graduate student who is a veteran of the U.S. armed forces, the second scholarship of this type he has funded. The Anthony “Tony” Camilleri Veterans Scholarship is named after Mr. Moran’s late uncle, who also was a military veteran.

WSB Donors Seed Authentic 4 | GInvestment Experience The GW Program on Applied Research and Investing (GW PARI) is a leader in applied research and investment education. GW

6 | New Partnership with Attain

Attain, LLC, a management, technology and strategy consulting firm based in McLean, Va., launched a partnership with GWSB to focus on preparing talent for the consulting careers of the future and fostering entrepreneurs who want to make an impact on the world. The consultancy also has made a monetary gift to the school that will support the following programs: the Mentoring and Immersion Program for Consulting (MIPC), the GW New Venture Competition, the Pitch George Competition and the MS in Business Analytics Attain Scholarship Fund.

SAVE THE DATE

2018 April 19, 2018 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.

Media & Public Affairs Building, Jack Morton Auditorium

Nine teams will take the stage to vie for over $300,000 in funding and support at the 10th Annual 2018 GW New Venture Competition.

Join us to see who will take the prize at the largest business planning competition in the D.C. area.

Over the years, more than $1.5 million in cash and in-kind prizes have been awarded to competition winners.

Generous donors have contributed nearly half-a-million dollars since 2009 to support this real-world experiential learning opportunity in social and commercial entrepreneurship.

Join them by making an online gift at go.gwu.edu/give2newventure.

Learn more:

newventure.gwu.edu.

Presented by George Washington University’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

business.gwu.edu | 37

GWSB DEVELOPMENT + ALUMNI NEWS ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT Our alumni network offers global coverage & unlimited access.

Colonials Weekend and Alumni Achievement Awards 2017 GW hosted Colonials Weekend in fall 2017, bringing thousands of alumni, families, students and friends to campus. From sports rallies to student performances, it was a weekend full of Colonial pride and reunions with friends and family. (View select Colonials Weekend photos at gwtoday.gwu.edu/photos-colonialsweekend-2017.)

The weekend kicked off with the 81st annual Alumni Achievement Awards, the highest form of recognition given by the university and the George Washington Alumni Association. Jayne Plank, BA ’54, and seven other alumni received this prestigious award. Mrs. Plank has spent decades as a public servant, serving on the Kensington, Md., Town Council, as the first woman elected mayor of Kensington, and as director of intergovernmental affairs of the U.S. Department of State under former President Ronald Reagan. She also worked as a cryptologic linguist for the National Security Agency.

With more than 53,000 graduates, the GWSB alumni network is an extensive, global group that contributes greatly to the overall success of our school.

Our graduates pass on their wisdom and help both current students and fellow alumni with their career development and job searches. They regularly attend events, connect and collaborate with each other, and help GWSB evolve, expand and progress.

WAYS TO STAY CONNECTED 1. VOLUNTEER Alumni volunteer opportunities provide ways to be involved

Meet the GWSB Development and Alumni Relations Team ■

2. GIVE Philanthropy at all levels 3. JOIN Extensive, global group 4. CONNECT Alumni network wherever you go

38 | GWSB Spring 2018

■

eated, left to right: S Marie Treanor, BA ’87, MPA ’94 Director of Alumni Relations

Natalie Fleischman, Parent ’20 Assistant Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations

George Washington * General, first U.S. President, University Namesake

Katie McCrystal Associate Director of Development

tanding, left to right: S Brianne Thompson-Martin, BA ’16 Assistant Director of Development Matt O’Brien Associate Director of Development

■

ot pictured: N Sarah Lyon Alumni Relations Coordinator

* George Washington statue and bench donated to GW by Trustee Emeritus Mark Shenkman, MBA ’67

GW hosted Colonials Weekend in fall 2017, bringing thousands of alumni, families, students, and friends to campus.

Hear Mrs. Plank reminisce about her time at GW at go.gwu.edu/jayneplank.

MBA students and alumni professionals “get down to business” at a recent GWSB MBA Alumni Roundtable.

MBA Reunion and Meet-ups

Alumni Roundtables

MBAs from the Classes of 2007, 2012 and 2016 gathered at the GWSB MBA reunion on March 24, 2018. Be on the lookout for your invitation to a future reunion! Reunion volunteers are always needed—please contact Marie Treanor at mtreanor@gwu. edu for more information.

GWSB has launched a new event series that provides MBA students the opportunity to interact with alumni business leaders from various industries. Students and their assigned discussion leaders will be invited to sit at predetermined discussion tables. A variety of prompting questions will be provided to help facilitate discussion at each table and among the group as a whole.

Topics include recent trends, challenges and opportunities in the field. Each alumni roundtable ends with an organized group discussion.

Alumni roundtables happen three times a year in Washington, D.C., and provide an opportunity for mid-senior to C-suite level alumni to engage with current MBA students.

If you were unable to join us in March, but are looking to connect or network with fellow MBA alumni and current students, join the new Meet-up group created exclusively for GWSB MBA alumni at meetup.com/GWSB-MBA.

To share your expertise at an Alumni Roundtable or another student-alumni program, please visit business.gwu.edu/alumni/volunteer.

business.gwu.edu | 39

SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Alumni EXPERIENCE 55,000+ GWSB Alumni CONNECT

Stay in touch with your classmates, faculty, and the school by updating your contact information, attending events, and sharing personal news via our GWSB Alumni Class Notes.

CONTRIBUTE

Looking to engage with fellow GWSB alumni or support current students? There are a variety of ways you can volunteer and invest in creating a more powerful GWSB network.

CHAMPION

Proactively advocate for GWSB in your community, in your company, and in your everyday conversations. Alumni champions take action to elevate GWSB.

Your GWSB degree gives you exclusive access to resources provided by the F. David Fowler Career Center.

All GW alumni receive a host of exclusive discounts both near and far from campus. alumni.gwu.edu/benefits-services

For more information: GWSB Alumni Relations | 202-994-8157 | go.gwu.edu/gwsbalumni GW of Business 40 | School GWSB Spring 2018

@GWSBalumni

gwsbalumni

The George Washington University School of Business

nonprofit U.S. Postage paid washington dc permit #593 School of Business Office of the Dean Duquès Hall, Suite 660 Washington, D.C. 20052

Creating a Meaningful Legacy at GW Is Easy.

If you have a retirement plan, it’s easy to help deserving students receive a world-class education in the nation’s capital. You can name the George Washington University as a beneficiary of some or all of the funds that may remain in your IRA, 401(k), or other plan after your lifetime. Just complete a new beneficiary designation form that includes GW and its Tax ID number (53-0196584) and submit it to your plan administrator.

A few of the benefits: Flexibility to support the GW program of your choice.

No change in lifestyle since your gift comes from leftover funds.

Elimination of income and estate taxes that otherwise would be due.

We can answer your questions to help make it even easier.

“As a GWSB alumna and advisory board member, I’m keen to help students complement their outstanding academic experience on campus with a meaningful international opportunity. My planned gift supports students who pursue overseas study and internships — so important for the success of tomorrow’s business leaders in an interconnected world.”

Contact us today!

CALL: 877-498-7590 EMAIL: pgiving1@gwu.edu ONLINE: go.gwu.edu/plannedgiving

4 | GWSB Spring 2018

DAR3197

Christine Brown-Quinn, GWSB MBA ‘92 GWSB Board of Advisors